


Winter Love

by saranghandei



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28670445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saranghandei/pseuds/saranghandei
Summary: "Jibeom, Jaehyun likes you. No, he… he loves you. He's in love with you for so long!"Jibeom closes the lids of his eyes and sighs deeply. His mind wanders as his back touches the mattress of his bed."What am I going to do with this information?"
Relationships: Bong Jaehyun/Kim Jibeom
Comments: 7
Kudos: 51





	Winter Love

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year!   
> I hope you started off the year right! I am healing up so I started my hobby again~  
> It's been a while so it might not be that good but it's cold in here and I want something to warm up winter so it's a gift for you and myself too. I hope you'll enjoy~

"How's the delivery today, hyung?" 

Jibeom greets Youngtaek once he steps into the bakery store. After dropping off his son at the nursery care, he goes straight to his store in the early morning of December 24th. Jibeom always hates winter and the coldness it brings.

"I'm sorry I have to call you right after you come back from your honeymoon." Jibeom apologetically smiles. 

The older was wed a week ago but Jibeom has no choice but to cut his vacation short. After the successful supplier's bid, the bakery shop started to deliver their pastries to famous cafes in Seoul. All thanks to Jaehyun's amazing baking skills that they need not convince them and they won the bid smoothly. In exchange, their shop became busier than ever. 

"We are down to the last 5 boxes in the Itaewon area, Jibeom. After this, I can always go home and rest." Youngtaek replies with so much energy even after waking up at 3 am just to deliver their goods. 

Jibeom shakes his head, "I'm sorry, hyung. I can't even call Jaehyun in since he baked them all night. I might as well not call him for today." 

Youngtaek agrees with a smile. "I suggest you close down the shop early and have a good Christmas dinner with Jaehyun at home. Like you always used to. I'm sure Bomin will also love it if you can spend the rest of the evening together." 

"Yeah right. He's been wanting to stay up till midnight for Christmas. He couldn't do it last year because Jaehyun didn't let him." 

There were few tiny giggles that leave Jibeom's mouth as he remembers how they usually spend Christmas. Jaehyun would bake a cake and they would eat it together. After dinner, they would exchange gifts, and lastly, Jaehyun had to bring Bomin to bed so he and Jibeom could play video games all night long. That's how they always spend their holidays since they were kids. Always inseparable even after Jibeom had his son, Bomin. 

Youngtaek finished stacking up the last box in his car and waves Jibeom goodbye. He told Jibeom he'll drop off the gifts tonight together with his wife. Looking at how happy Youngtaek is with his now married life, Jibeom also feels as if Christmas is getting colder every year. He wraps himself with his scarf and starts the day. 

As Jibeom cleans up the utensils Jaehyun left last night, he notices the white box near the canning machine with a yellow note stuck at the top. He flips it open and tada! It's the slightly slanted handwritten Jibeom recognized the most. 

_**"I'm sorry, Sir. I messed up :("** _

Jibeom carefully opened the box and he knew what the note meant. He laughs while looking at the burnt croffle. Sure Jaehyun knows how to bake but definitely not with the pan and the fire. He's been telling Jaehyun to make him the famous croissant-waffle after they tried it on Bomin's birthday. The boy's teacher gave it to Bomin as a birthday present but the two adults enjoyed it the most. 

Jibeom takes the first bite. The burnt part made a crunch sound but the inside was moist and creamy. He isn't a fan of something too sweet and sugary and Jaehyun adjusted the sweetness of the cream. Jibeom hums as he finishes up with the last bite. It was a good breakfast and it's been so long since he had one. Ever since Jibeom became a father, breakfast was omitted in his dictionary although Jaehyun is always there to remind him of it. But he may start eating if breakfast always tastes this good. 

He fishes out his phone and types a short thanks then sends it to Jaehyun, his longtime best friend. 

-

"T-This..." Jibeom looks up from the counter after picking up a pen on the floor. A young man with blonde hair is holding up a red box in between his hands. He is passing it to Jibeom with careful movements. 

"Sorry, what is this?" Jibeom stares at the box and then at the young lad who is as tall as him. The face looks familiar like he had seen him before. 

"It's... It's for Mr. Jaehyun," the lad replies while looking away at Jibeom's questioning gaze. 

"O-ohh... Well, Jaehyun's not around, you see-" 

"It's fine. Just take it, Mister. I don't think I can g-give this to him in person t-too..." 

_ Ah! He is that kid. _ Jibeom remembers that during their college, Jaehyun used to tutor a high school student who happened to actually "fall" in love with him. The boy confessed at Jaehyun's front door and Jibeom accidentally heard it all when he was about to go his way out after spending a night at Jaehyun's apartment. He never told Jaehyun about it but there was that time. That young student's grown up now. Jibeom thought. He takes the box and places it to the side. 

"I'll give this to him."

"Thank you." The boy bows his head and storms out of the store with a flushed face. 

Jaehyun always receives things from the people he met. It's either a gift of plain gratitude or a confession gift. Not to mention it varies prices and from both genders. Maybe because he is Jaehyun's best friend that he's quite used to it. But indeed, Jaehyun's too pretty and sometimes Jibeom catches himself staring at him especially when he's with Bomin. Looking at the box, Jibeom feels extra guilty. He hasn't picked out any Christmas presents for Jaehyun yet. It is true when they say that the more you know the person, the harder it is to find him/her the perfect gift. Jaehyun has lots of things he owns more expensive than what Jibeom has. Jibeom sighs at the idea of _"It's the thought that counts "._

Throughout the working hours, the sight of the red box always catches Jibeom's attention. He thought maybe because he placed it at the counter where he takes orders so he moved it next to the canning machine. Then, when he makes drinks, he sees it again because of its bright red color. Somehow, the sight ticks him off. He even gave a wrong shot to one of the drinks just because his mind was busy looking for a place to hide the Christmas gift. In the end, Jibeom shakes his head looking at the box with an upset gaze. 

"Alright. I'm getting him a Christmas present, okay? Stop making me feel guilty about it. I forgot because I was busy." 

Anyone who sees Jibeom would really think he's gone mad after talking to the red box as if it was a person. The door chimes before Jibeom could even hide the present from that kid.

"Daddy!" a shout from the boy Jibeom loves the most echoes the entire bakery.  Bomin is smiling so wide at him making him forget what he was irritated about. The boy was holding hands with Jaehyun. Just as how quickly he forgot about the red box because of the sight of his bright son, it came back to him like a boomerang.  _ Shoot Jaehyun's Christmas present! _ Jibeom smiled sheepishly. When Jibeom gives the gift the student handed him a while ago, Jaehyun would definitely ask for Jibeom's. So he did what he was about to do earlier. He subtly brushes the box with his hand and let it fall to the bag of ingredients placed on the floor.  _ There you go. Nice landing! _

"Hey..." Jibeom takes off his apron and welcomes his son with wide arms open. Bomin, jogs in tiny as he goes to his father. Jaehyun smiles at them. 

"Don't you have to close up now? We'll be caught in Christmas rush hour if we don't go home soon" 

Jibeom shifts his gaze from his son to Jaehyun standing at the back. He still looks tired from the overtime work last night and it doubles Jibeom's guilt for calling him to pick up Bomin. Jaehyun isn't the one who complains because he loves Bomin too just as much as the boy loves him back like a second father. Still, it's not good to use that as an excuse to keep on relying on Jaehyun. 

Jibeom stands up straight and kisses Bomin's chubby cheek. "I'll close it up. Just sit back and relax." 

Jaehyun laughs at Jibeom's line while his gaze follows the latter. He's been thinking, this kind of set up where Bomin grows up with two dads on his side plus going home together almost every day, it would be a lie if Jaehyun had never wished to be a woman who can be Bomin's mother and a wife to Jibeom. 

Jibeom, that best friend of his, has always been the center of his attention, the apple of his eye, the love of his life. But Jibeom thinks and feels differently.  _ Definitely _ . 

-

"Merry Christmas!" They greet in chorus in time for the clock to strike 12. Bomin successfully convinces Jaehyun to let him stay up for Christmas and greets him in a slightly drowsy voice as he clings in Jaehyun's arms, nuzzling his chubby cheek against the soft fabric of Jaehyun's sweater. 

"Mewwy Chwismash" Bomin rubs his eyes with his tiny hand followed by a yawn. Jaehyun smoothes a palm on the baby's back while he hums a lullaby. 

"Merry Christmas, my son," Jibeom leans in and pecks the baby's forehead, invading Jaehyun's personal space. The latter halts a breath feeling his heart beating a little faster than normal. 

Jibeom's hair smells nice. And when he looks up to Jaehyun to meet his eyes, it's like Jaehyun sees stars. It took him a moment before he realizes he's been staring a second too long. He quickly scoots back. "I.. I'll put him to bed," was his excuse.

"Sorry," Jibeom whispers and leans back. He smiles at Jaehyun who's carrying Bomin like his own. He mouths a simple thanks before Jaehyun disappears to Bomin's bedroom.    


Jaehyun sits down in bed as he carefully lays down Jibeom's son. His eyes, his boopable nose, and his hair resemble Jibeom. It's like Jibeom made Bomin on his own. 

"What do I do with your father, Bomin-ah?" he mumbles while patting the baby's bum to sleep. 

Now that Jaehyun thinks of it, he never saw Bomin's mom. When Jibeom had a girlfriend, he never bothered asking for them to meet. He was hurt and seeing her would only add salt to his wound.  _ She was definitely pretty. _ He avoids all the chances and invites from Jibeom and then one day, in the middle of their college years, Jibeom knocks on his door with a tiny bub wrapped in a baby blue blanket. That was Bomin.  He could see from Jibeom's eyes that he was crying all day. He wanted to ask what happened since Jibeom never mentioned him becoming a father. Jaehyun partly blamed himself and had his own share of guilt. Guilty of being a coward that led Jibeom to deal with his problems all alone. He should've set his feelings aside and choose friendship over it.

_ "W-who is the baby?" Jaehyun sat beside Jibeom who was staring blankly at the space.  _

_ "He's mine."  _

_ Jaehyun felt his insides tightening and his thoughts fast-forwarded to the future where Jibeom gets married to the baby's mother. His heart began to crush and the familiar feeling came back to him so he held both his hands tight.  _

_ "What about the m-"  _

_ "Jaehyun..." Jibeom looked at him straight in the eyes cutting his curiosity. There were layers of emotions in his friend's eyes and it was too overwhelming for Jaehyun. He couldn't read his best friend's mind.  _

_ There were tears flowing out Jibeom's eyes and Jaehyun couldn't understand what he said. He was rambling. But one thing was for sure, he heard him say "help" and only one word it takes for Jaehyun to swear that he will be with Jibeom through thick and thin. There were times that he questioned his choice but what can he do. He is in love with his best friend.  _

-

When Jaehyun comes out of the room, Jibeom is sitting at the dining table with two glasses of wine. 

"Cheers?" he waves his glass and tilts his head to the side, gesturing Jaehyun to sit across him. 

The other man obliges and makes a toast. "Merry Christmas, Jibeom." 

When Jaehyun sits on the chair, Jibeom ruffles something in a bag. His eyes never left him until Jibeom hands him a red box. 

"Is that for me?" Jaehyun's eyes light up like candlelight and before Jibeom could respond Jaehyun takes the box from him. "Thank you! I thought there is nothing for me this Christmas just like last year." Jaehyun squints his eyes accusingly. 

"T-that's actually-" 

"No more explanation!" Jaehyun waves his hand in front of his surprised best friend. "The last time I let you explain was on my birthday saying the movie plus dinner treat sums up the Christmas, new year, and the birthday gift as the dates are close to each other." Jaehyun rolls his eyes, not bothering to look at the flustered Jibeom. "So stingy, aren't you?" 

Jaehyun busied his hands unwrapping the red box not giving Jibeom a chance to talk. He looks so happy that Jibeom didn't have the heart to tell him whom the gift was from. 

"I actually got you one and I'm sure you would love it." Jaehyun continues to ramble, "I hope Bomin likes my gift t-" Jaehyun stops when he finally opens the box. His excitement falls off his face and his eyebrows furrow so Jibeom looks at him in confusion then to the box.

"What's wrong?"

"It's... Jibeom, it's broken." 

"Huh?" 

Jaehyun looks up to Jibeom with a mix of sadness and surprise, "It's a snowball, isn't it? But it's broken." 

Jibeom feels his blood rushing to his head and his neck starts to feel numb. Must be because he let it fall to the floor earlier. It wasn't from him in the first place. Jibeom feels like he is about to go crazy. He screwed up big time.

"O-Oh... Uhm... I-It's broken?" His initial reaction was to grab the box from Jaehyun's hold but before his hand reaches it, Jaehyun closes the box and puts it on his lap. 

Jaehyun forces a smile, "It's okay." 

"Jaehyun..." 

"It really is okay." Jaehyun smiles wider. "It's the thought that counts." 

Jibeom wants to crack his head open. It was so wrong of him and looking at Jaehyun only forcing himself to be okay…he was left with no choice. He stands up from his seat and goes under the Christmas tree. He takes another box but this time, it is white. Jaehyun didn't notice it when they were giving presents to Bomin. 

"Here," Jibeom weakly hands the white box. "It's from a friend. Do you know that high school student you used to teach? He dropped by to give you this." 

"Oh.. Thank you.." 

Jibeom sits back on his chair with a face full of remorse but Jaehyun fails to see it as his eyes glued to the box. 

"You can open it." 

Jaehyun only nods sensing the atmosphere a bit off.  He takes the ribbon and slowly unboxes it. It was a light brown scarf with warm and soft fabric. It makes Jaehyun smile unconsciously. 

"You like it that much?" 

Jaehyun instantly closes his lips to hide his smile. "I like the snowball better." 

It makes Jibeom chuckle, obviously Jaehyun likes the scarf more. "Silly." 

"I do like the snowball...Better."

Jibeom wants to argue but Jaehyun looks so cute hiding his smiles so rather takes the thought back. _I'm glad he likes it._ Jibeom pats himself for being resourceful. 

After that awkward incident, Jibeom and Jaehyun decide to do their usual Christmas routine, video games. They brush the thought of the broken snowball and stay up all night for Christmas day. It is always like this and maybe they'll be forever like this on every 25th of December.

-

It is extra cold on the 26th. Snow is falling hard and piling up at the sides of the street. Inside the cozy bakery shop, Bomin's cry is heard loudly as he doesn't want to let go of Jaehyun's hand. Jibeom and Bomin need to go back to their hometown to celebrate the new year but the baby wants Jaehyun to come with them. 

"It's alright, my baby..." Jaehyun wipes the fat teardrops rolling off Bomin's cheeks. "Uncle needs to work so he can buy Bomin lots of gifts. You like that, don't you?" 

Bomin tightened his arms around Jaehyun's thigh. The only body part his height could reach. Jibeom is already fed up with his tantrums so he is now sitting tiredly watching his son being a headache.  "Bomin, let's go. The customers are coming in soon." 

Bomin starts to cry again but Jaehyun lifts him up to level their eyes. "I'll join you soon, okay? Just be a good boy and follow your dad. How about that?" 

Jibeom's son slowly nods his head much to Jibeom's surprise and raises his cute pinky finger, "Promise?" 

Jaehyun gladly takes it, "I promise." And then a peck, "Now go to your dad cuz you don't wanna be late for your train." 

Bomin looks a bit hesitant but since Jaehyun already promised, he wiggles his way out of Jaehyun's arms and sheepishly walks to Jibeom twirling his fingers as if he knew his father was near to anger. The cute view makes Jibeom's heart melt so decides to not reprimand Bomin for it. He understands. His son loves Jaehyun. He wipes the tears-stained face of Bomin and tucks him nicely in his coat. He couldn't believe his own son doesn't listen to his words.

"Then I'll leave the shop in your care," Jibeom tightens Bomin's padded coat and waves goodbye to Youngtaek and Jaehyun.  Jibeom's winter holiday always includes going back hometown with Jaehyun. But this year, the shop became busier and they couldn't close it up for the holiday so he has to go with only Bomin. 

He turns his head once more and locks eyes with Jaehyun. It feels strange going alone this time and seeing Jaehyun standing from afar. He’s never been apart from Jaehyun for long, thus, the idea somehow does something to his heart. He laughs at himself thinking maybe he was just scared of dealing with Bomin alone. 

Once the father and son disappear from their sight, Youngtaek turns to Jaehyun whose eyes never left them. There's a small smile lingering on his face as he sends them off with only his gaze. 

"The eyes of true love," Youngtaek teases without looking at Jaehyun. He wipes the table clean as he hums a song Jaehyun knew to be a love song.  "If Bomin cannot live without you, Jibeom might as well take you as his spouse," Youngtaek adds without batting an eyelash. It’s as if he said the most normal thing. 

"Hyung! Someone might hear you!" Jaehyun shushes the taller man although they are alone in the shop. He sighs, "Just let him be for now. It's not Jibeom's fault to take responsibility for." 

"And it's not your fault for falling in love with him and wanting for more." Youngtaek retorts. He pockets the washcloth and faces Jaehyun. His hands are on his waist. 

Jaehyun mirrors the man’s action. He knows this is going to be a long argument, "Hyung, Jibeom is a man. And... he's straight. He would never see me as someone more than a best friend. He needs… a wife. Not me." 

"Tsk, who knows? You never tried." 

"Okay, fine. And have Jibeom turned his back on me." 

Youngtaek felt the pain in Jaehyun's words. He is indeed more afraid of losing Jibeom than having his love unheard. 

"But what if Bomin's mom comes back and takes away his child? From what I see, Bomin isn't just your best friend's son but he is a son to you too." 

Jaehyun remains silent. It is something he fears the most. That one day, he will no longer be Bomin's guardian. To Jaehyun, Bomin is his own son he held for sleepless nights. The one he feeds and cries when he’s hurting. Something stuck in his throat and suddenly it’s hard to talk. Youngtaek hits the bull’s eye. 

"See? You can’t give the kid up either. All I wanted Jaehyun is for you to try. Jibeom might change his perspective once he knows. There are people like that. From the way I see it-" 

"Easy for you to say that, hyung." 

It was Youngtaek’s turn to sigh. He wishes Jaehyun would listen better. "I just don't want you to get hurt again... and again. Just because of these social norms and whatever you are afraid of. I don’t want you to regret not doing anything." 

"But what if Jibeom starts to hate me?" 

Youngtaek clicks his tongue, "Then, he isn't the right person for you." Youngtaek puts a period of the discussion seeing Jaehyun almost looks like he’s about to cry. 

It's the same as Jibeom turning his back on him. Either way, Jaehyun would never win in any situation. There's something pricking in his eyes so he had to end the conversation quickly before the customers came in. "I'll see what I can do." is what he says to Youngtaek.

Youngtaek sends him a warm smile. This hyung always got Jaehyun's back. He promised he’ll help Jaehyun even if it takes forcing Jibeom to change his perspective towards Jaehyun. "Remember that you are a wonderful person and you love them more than anybody could, more than they love themselves. Nothing could ever amount to that." 

-

Jaehyun is thankful for Youngtaek's encouragement but it isn't enough for him to man up and confess. He is not ready for what is to come as a consequence of his action. Sometimes, Jaehyun doesn't wanna wake up anymore. Youngtaek was right. He wants more and there are times when he gets greedy and wants to have Jibeom and Bomin by himself. He is always afraid that the moment he loses sight of them, they'll be gone forever.

So he tightens the zip of his coat and rings the intercom, standing in front of a wide wooden gate. After three days, he follows Jibeom and Bomin just because Bomin would never stop asking about him and he misses the father and son. Youngtaek agrees to manage the bakery as long as Jaehyun makes a move while they are away. That burdens him to be honest. 

Breaking his trance is a tight hug from behind him. The weight shocked him but based on the scent and the giggles, it is no other than Bomin. Jaehyun is standing in front of the Kim’s residence.

Jibeom is still carrying Bomin in his arms while half of the boy's body is already on Jaehyun. "Bomin, gosh, can't you wait? You're gonna trip Jaehyun." 

With wobbly movements, Jaehyun tries his best to turn around and what he didn't expect was the view that meets him. A few centimeters away from his face is Jibeom with black hair. He used to have it brown. His nose pinkish from the cold and his long lashes have tiny snow settling on them. Their warm breath blowing against their faces with Bomin stuck in between them. 

Jaehyun's face turns red in an instant and is beyond embarrassed how his eyes travel to the man’s chapped lips thinking about how it feels kissing Jibeom under the snowy sky. His imaginative mind is working again. In the end, he tripped on his own foot and fell on his butt blaming himself for being a slave of Jibeom’s handsome face. Jibeom tries to catch him by grabbing one of his arms but it was too late. Bomin cries after Jibeom scolds him lightly for what happened. “That’s what I told you, didn’t I?”

“J-Jibeom, it’s okay. Bomin was just excited to see me.” Jaehyun forces a smile. 

"Oh my, it must've hurt really bad Jaehyun-ah..." Mrs. Kim, Jibeom's mother, checks Jaehyun's back with worry after they arrive in the bedroom. "I'll make you a tea while Jibeom compresses your back, hm?" She was quick to prepare the warm pack when she heard about the little accident. 

"Let me see," Jibeom lifts up the shirt Jaehyun is wearing. It didn't bother him at first but Jaehyun has a really slim frame and milky white skin. The reddish spot looks really painful as it paints pink on Jaehyun's skin. He smoothes a finger on the spot sending shivers to Jaehyun's skin. 

"It… It hurts." Jaehyun lies although it actually tickles.

Jaehyun lays down on his stomach to help Jibeom tends the spot. With a gentle hand, Jibeom starts to press the warm pack against Jaehyun's skin. He hears a hiss from the injured man but continues what he's doing. 

"I'm sorry, Jaehyun. If only I had held Bomin firmly. It's just because of his excitement that you end up like this." 

Jaehyun turns his head a bit so his peripheral can see Jibeom at the back, " That’s what I told you. You shouldn’t have scolded him. It's fine. He is Bomin. I will be sad if he wasn't excited to see me." 

Jaehyun hears Jibeom laugh but it was a rather solemn one. "You must love him that much, huh." 

Jaehyun only hums in agreement. They were silent the entire time Jibeom is tending Jaehyun until Jibeom stands up suddenly and excuse to go to the comfort room. The pain eases so Jaehyun rolls down his shirt back and waits but even after Mrs. Kim arrives with a snack and Bomin on her left hand, Jibeom didn't return. 

"I'm sowwyy" 

The eyes brimming with tears melt Jaehyun's heart. He smiles and gestures to Bomin to come near him, which the boy is quick to oblige and runs to Jaehyun for a hug. Jaehyun helps him up to his lap and like automated, Bomin circles his arms around the man. Jaehyun can feel the boy's shoulder shaking as he cries silently. 

"Aigo, it's fine." He pats the baby's bum. "Uncle is all fine, hm?" 

Mrs. Kim who is watching them with a warm smile on her face couldn't just stay still. 

"If only Jaehyun is a woman it would be really nice if you are my son's wife. Look how Bomin clings to you." 

Jaehyun is a bit taken aback by Mrs. Kim's comment. He snaps his head instantly towards the door to see if Jibeom has come and hears her. Fortunately, he could breathe comfortably as there is no sign of Jibeom. 

He responds with a light smile. His heart is light at the thought of it.  _ Being Jibeom's spouse... _

"Oh my, what am I saying..." The woman covers her mouth with her palm as if what she said was never intentional, "It's just that you two look perfect together," she giggles then places the tray of snacks on the bedside table. She then excuses herself after checking Jaehyun up, leaving the man blinking in confusion as to what she actually meant. Nevertheless, Jaehyun was happy. 

-

If Jibeom is a clumsy man, her mom was definitely forgetful. She forgot to prepare Jaehyun’s room although Jibeom asked her beforehand. In the end, Jaehyun has to share a space with Jibeom and Bomin sleeps in Jibeom’s parent’s room. It was never an issue as they both grew up together but lately, Jaehyun has never been to Jibeom’s room. Back in Seoul, whenever he stays overnight, he sleeps with Bomin. He sits on the bed and glances around, feeling nostalgic for all the posters and books Jibeom has in his room. The first-ever robot blocks and the book-size jigsaw puzzle that both of them completed at school are still neatly placed on the wall. Nothing really has changed. 

Jibeom arrives after a quick shower and the first thing he asks is Jaehyun’s back. 

“I feel so much better now. It was partly my fault for being so weak. Bomin is growing up and getting heavier,” answers Jaehyun with a chuckle. He suddenly remembers how light Bomin felt in his arms the first time he held him.

Jibeom doesn’t talk, rather he only stares at Jaehyun for a little too long. 

“What? Is there… something on my face..?” 

Jibeom shakes his head and throws the towel he was using to dry his hair to the pillow next to Jaehyun. He slides next to Jaehyun and lies down. 

“Jaehyun-ah?”

“Hm?” Jaehyun shifts to his side to look at the person he’s talking to. 

“I think you will be a great parent in the future.”

“So suddenly?”

Jibeom looks up to Jaehyun and puts up one arm to support his body, so he is facing Jaehyun sideways.

“You’ve been like a second parent to my son. I see how you take care of him every day. You are gentler but firm when disciplining Bomin. Way better than me. Does…” Jibeom strays from his word because he isn’t sure how Jaehyun would react. He stares at the man who is intently looking back at him. “Does having a family ever cross your mind?”

The question makes Jaehyun swallow the lump in his throat. Of course, he has imagined it hundreds of times. He, Jibeom, and Bomin. He conceals his bitter reality with a smile then lies down with his back facing Jibeom. 

“Of course, it did.. But not too soon, I guess'' He answers in a small voice. Hoping Jibeom would stop asking and just fall asleep.

“Is it because of Bomin and me?” 

Sure Jibeom asks too many shocking questions in one night. Jaehyun plays the end of the pillowcase with his fingers as he thinks of his answer. His silence made his best friend sigh. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to make it better for you, Jaehyun-ah.” 

Jaehyun nods, fully knowing he’s not gonna feel any better no matter what Jibeom does. The only thing that will make him the happiest is when Jibeom loves him back. But that is a far reality. The only consolation he has is being best friends, the relationship lasts forever. He can do that... As long as Jibeom doesn't love anyone else. 

-

It was hard to sleep that night but it's always good to be back at home. Jibeom, Jaehyun together with Bomin roam around the neighborhood recalling their childhood and meeting friends they haven’t seen in a long time. His heart feels so much lighter whenever Mrs. Kim always talks about how much he wants Jaehyun to be a part of their family, or when their friends would kiddingly comment about Bomin having two fathers and Jibeom would always smile at him like giving him assurance that everything is going to be fine. It is always because of that smile that Jaehyun falls in love over and over again. There are times when he’s on cloud nine that he just wanted to tell Jibeom how he feels exactly but chickens out the moment he sees Jibeom coming his way. 

For the time being, Jaehyun is happily spending the holidays with the Kims and he doesn’t want to ruin it. They will be back in Seoul by the 2nd of January so he thinks of ways on how to enjoy the last few days of their vacation forgetting what he promised to Youngtaek.

As he is writing down the souvenirs he wants to buy for Youngtaek and his friends back in the city, the bedroom door opens in haste. Jibeom goes in trying to wear his scarf right. 

“Are you going out?" Jaehyun inquires.

Jibeom hums curtly in response. “Does this look okay on me?” He refers to the scarf he's wearing.

Jaehyun stands up from his chair and goes to fix his best friend's winter shawl. He looks rather good than any of the days they’ve been together. Jibeom’s hair is gelled up and he is wearing a watch which he only wears on special days. “You didn’t tell me you’re going out,” Jaehyun mumbles as he neatly places the scarf around Jibeom. 

“D...Do I have to?” There’s a sudden confusion in Jibeom’s tone. The question came out of his mouth before he could shut it back thus the hesitation. When he realized what he just asked Jaehyun, his eyes widened in surprise. But it was too late. 

Jaehyun’s hands already drop weakly on his side after feeling the fabric of Jibeom’s scarf. He looks away and goes back to his seat. Pretending he isn’t hurt and all like he went deaf and didn’t hear a thing. “Of course you don’t have to. Who am I to pry anyway...” 

The tension slowly builds up each second that passes by. 

“Jaehyun, are you angry?”

Jaehyun throws his best friend a quick glance then he scoffs, “Of course not. Why would I be?"

“But you look like you are mad at me.” 

Jaehyun shuts his eyes and breathes in slowly. Hoping what he’s feeling at the moment won’t show on his face. Trying to maintain his poker face, he turns to Jibeom. “You are just seeing things. Go, you don’t wanna be late on your appointment.”

Jibeom glances at the clock which is a quarter to 9 in the evening. Feeling the need to explain, “I’m going on a group blindate. Donghan hyung included me last minute. The other one couldn’t show up so he asked me to proxy instead. Don’t… wait for me. I might come home very late...”

Jaheyun only nods his head then goes back to writing.

“I’ll take my leave.” 

That’s the last thing he hears from Jibeom before the man closes the door gently behind him, leaving Jaehyun gripping the pen tightly as he stares at his own handwriting, feeling a slight ripping of his heart. His heart beats for his one and only best friend. What Jibeom said still rang in his ears. “Tsk, I shouldn’t have asked." Jaehyun is quite annoyed why Jibeom had to explain but he's upset the man didn't inform him of going out either. "Don't wait for me? Of course, I won't wait for you!" He plops on the bed and hugs his pillow tightly.

Jibeom clearly told him to not wait for him and go to bed first but after knowing where Jibeom was off to, his mind runs thousands of miles. What if Jibeom meets another woman there? What if she meets the person he wants to be Bomin’s mother? What will happen to him? Is he forever gonna keep on hurting? Jaehyun groans and buries his face on the pillow. Feeling his head starts to ache. 

He tries to calm down and collect himself before his thoughts kill him. His phone chimes so he sits up and grabs his phone. It’s from an unregistered number.  On the screen, he could read what the message was about and he was sure he saw “gift” on it. 

**From: +82-10-XXXX-XXXX**

**“I heard you are into snowballs, hyung. Did you like my gift to you?”**   


Jaehyun’s mind suddenly comes to a halt. It took him a few minutes to process the weird question.  _ Snowball _ . There’s an unsettling feeling that starts to envelop him. The first thing he does is to dial the number. He doesn’t usually respond to unknown numbers but something is definitely wrong. It rings a few times before someone picks it. Jaehyun didn’t know why but he was hoping the sender just sent it mistakenly. 

“Hello?”

His heartbeat increases as he waits for the other end. 

“...who is this?”

He could hear a faint buzzing sound but no one answered him. 

“This is Jaehyun. I think you got the wrong person. I-”

“Hyung.”

“...” 

“Hyung, it’s me. Haknyeon.”

_ Haknyeon.  _ There’s only one person Jaehyun knows who has that name. The highschool student he used to tutor before.

“O-Oh... Haknyeon-ah…”

“Yes, hyung. It’s me. I’m glad you still remember.”

“Of course. But, what is it about? Snowball..?” 

There’s a short silence between them before Jaehyun hears breathing, more like a nervous sigh. Although he is listening, his mind is on the person who gives him a broken snowball on Christmas day. 

“Haknyeon-ah… Do you mean the scarf? Isn’t it the brown scarf…?” he carefully asks.

“It’s the snowball, hyung! From the red box!” The change of the boy’s voice made Jaehyun flinch on the other side. “I should’ve written my name then more than trusting that hyung to give him to you.” 

_ But Jibeom said it was from him _ ,  _ the snow ball.  _ “You mean the hyung who owns the shop?”

“Yes. That handsome yet stupid-looking hyung. Your best friend. I only messaged to check if he has given it to you safe and sound.”

“I... I see. Thanks, Haknyeon-ah. I received it well. Hyung was just a little confused.” 

“It’s okay, hyung. It’s my fault for not writing who it was from. Did you like it?” 

The tone of the boy’s voice became brighter and Jaehyun didn’t have the heart to ruin his mood by telling him it had gone broken. So he lies, “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” 

_ Was Jibeom just confused? _ Jaehyun plops down on the bed, information overload. He recalls the incident that night. Jibeom didn't say the red box was from him. Jaehyun only assumed.  _ If it’s the case, then the scarf is definitely from Jibeom… But why did he say it was from Haknyeon…  _

_ - _

On the other hand,

“I’m glad you made it, Jibeom-ah!” Donghan extends his arms and hugs Jibeom tightly. “It’s been a while!” 

“Yes, it is. But hyung, I only agreed because it’s been a while.” 

Donghan laughs and looks at Jibeom weirdly, “You sound like a family man who’s scared of getting caught by your wife.”

Jibeom joins in the laugh and shakes his head. He is feeling a little scared though. Who wouldn’t be when Jaehyun, his best friend who is as calm as the morning sea, reacted indifferently. It’s a side of Jaehyun he has never seen before and he didn’t know how to handle him that way. There's a feeling that he angered Jaehyun too much. Jibeom sighs in his mind and brushes the thought away when they arrive at the table. Hoping the time would go faster so he could get this done and over with.

There are six of them. 3 guys and 3 fine ladies. It’s been a while since Jibeom went to this kind of setup. It was awkward answering the woman’s questions like an interview and he gladly told her he has a son. They had a good conversation with some drinks. After the successful blindate, the three men swing by another beerhouse and downed another round of drinks. 

“Next time, bring Jaehyun with you. Should I have known, I could’ve invited one more person. There’s a daughter of a famous lawyer around my neighborhood whom I usually hang out with.” Donghan’s voice is already loud, maybe quite drunk. Jibeom has to hold the wobbly hyung. 

“Jaehyun gets uncomfortable with new people. I bet he will reject the invitation.” Jibeom nonchalantly answers.

“What?! So he still has that problem, huh. Does he still get confessions from both genders?” 

“Say, Jibeom.” The other friend pokes Jibeom on the side, butting in the conversation, “Jaehyun has a pretty face, so it’s understandable if he grabs any man's attention too. But does he ever have a girlfriend?” 

Jibeom shakes his head, no. “None of my knowledge.” 

“Hmm… That’s puzzling since he could always get a girlfriend with that face…” 

“Not unless he likes men. But Jibeom-ah, as pretty as Jaehyun’s face… Wasn’t there a time when you feel someth-”

Donghan was cut off when their other friend pushed the can of beer in his mouth. Jibeom isn’t stupid enough not to know what Donghan was meaning to ask. He didn’t know how to answer the question either so he was thankful Donghan stopped. If he has to think deeply, there are days when his own best friend looks stunning and jaw-dropping at times. Even when he saw Jaehyun’s body for the first time in a long time while he was tending his injury, he did feel stuffy. But he never thought about how he felt at those moments. 

The night is going to be long so he makes the excuse to go home. Good thing, his other friend understood. He also tries his best to ignore what Donghan just asked him, stirring his mind in so many ways.  _ He is just drunk.  _ Or partly because Jibeom doesn’t want to think about it. It’s just…  _ weird… _

_ - _

Jibeom starts to blame Donghan for tainting his mind. Last night when he was about to get to bed, Jaehyun was sleeping while hugging the pillow tightly like a young boy. The yellowish light from the lamp traces all curves of Jaehyun’s face. Jibeom couldn’t get his eyes off for a moment. Jaehyun looks really adorable like that. It's been a while since the last time he had stared too long at Jaehyun’s face so he suddenly felt like a criminal for doing so. Afraid of his own action, he slipped on his side of the bed silently and forced himself to sleep.

The morning comes in a span of an hour for Jibeom who was sleepless. He feels the bed shift and moves when Jaehyun gets up. Suddenly, it feels like he is staying at someone’s home and Jaehyun feels like a new person to him, that Jibeom feels something unexplainable. It’s uncomfortable. 

Nobody talks about last night and Jaehyun pretends as if nothing happened either. He masters the art of pretending so he’s quite good at it. But Jibeom is restless. He doesn’t want to ignore Jaehyun too when all Bomin does is clings at him like he is the real father. But somehow Jibeom is walking on eggshells.

“Apple vs. Banana?” Mrs. Kim draws a card and asks her grandson. They play the balance game on a cold afternoon. 

Bomin, who is caged in between Jaehyun’s legs, wiggles around and shouts, “Banana!” 

“Grandma vs. Grandpa?” 

“Grandma!” 

Everyone laughs as the grandfather sulks playfully. “I love grandpa too because he plays with me. But granma makes food!” 

“Biking with daddy vs. Home with Uncle Jaehyun?”

Bomin pouts and does the thinking gesture. Jaehyun smiles as he waits for the boy’s answer. He glances at Jibeom but regrets the second his eyes landed on him. Jibeom is staring at him, not at Bomin who is serious to balance the game, but straight on his face that their eyes meet. He couldn’t read Jibeom’s eyes and he doesn't want to. To ease the unknown tension, he smiles at him and mumbles  _ “what?”  _

Jibeom eyes soften immediately and he smiles back. " _ nothing _ "

“Home with Uncle Jaehyun!” 

Everybody’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Eh? So you like to be with uncle Jaehyun more?” Mr. Kim asks to tease his own son. Usually, Jibeom would react like what his father did earlier but surprisingly, he only laughs at Bomin's choice. 

“Because Uncle Jaehyun always goes home alone. It's sad being alone so I want him at home too. Like this!” 

Jaehyun feels touched at the baby's words. In the future, when Jibeom marries another woman, he thinks his heart will break more for Bomin than the love of his life. He kisses the baby’s cheek and hugs him tightly, “Thank you. You are so thoughtful...”

The game was supposed to be fun but everyone turns a bit mellow. Especially when Jaehyun couldn’t stop the tear from rolling down his cheek though he wipes it halfway. 

“I’m sure Bomin will love to have you as his second parent.” Mr. Kim comments on how lovable his grandson is towards Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun didn’t hear it but Jibeom turns his head to his father’s side, a bit surprised. His father didn't notice him but he was sure of what he saw. Jibeom's father was serious when he said that. 

Later that night when Jibeom was spending alone time at the kitchen, enjoying his coffee, his father went to him. Sitting beside him, Jibeom’s father watches his son with nothing but love and pride for his grown-up child. 

“What? You’re not gonna stare at me the whole night without saying anything, dad are you?”

His father laughs and shakes his head. “I’m just happy watching you lately. Bomin has grown up to such a lovely kid to think you raised him without a mother. You did a good job, son.” 

Jibeom sips down his coffee, “That’s because Jaehyun is always with us. He’s doing a good job, not me. All I did was provide Bomin with his needs and Jaehyun took care of the rest. Aren’t you ashamed of your own son?” 

His father pats his back, “It’s because you are the father, that's why. That’s your role, your instinct as the man in the family. However, Jaehyun is…”

Jibeom looks at his father who’s looking elsewhere like he’s imagining things. “He must have a mother’s touch. That’s why Bomin’s very comfortable with him.” The father smiles and gently touches his son’s arm, “Don’t you think it’s time for you to look for someone, JIbeom-ah? I’m sure Jaehyun has his own life too. And if this takes time, Bomin might not be able to let him go. I’m afraid you can't let him go, either.” 

The thought of Jaehyun leaving them… Jibeom never imagined it. Not even once. Why does he think Jaehyun will forever be with them although he opened the topic of Jaehyun wanting a family the last time. That time… Why did he think of the three of them, together? Jibeom rubs his palms on his face. “You're right. I’ll think about it, dad…”

Mr. Kim nods and pulls his son to a hug, “Mom and I are always here for you. We will always accept whoever that person is as long as that person loves the both of you. Even if… It’s not Jaehyun…”

To the eyes of the parents who know their son the most, Jibeom is in love with his best friend, and Jaehyun was just being Jaehyun. They always know the boy to be very thoughtful and caring since they were young. Mr. Kim is afraid Jibeom might break his heart as they thought Jaehyun only loves the Bomin but not the father. But Jibeom himself doesn’t realize his own feelings towards his best friend since he’s looking from afar when Jaehyun is just right under his nose.

-

The vacation ends before they know it. They arrive in Seoul in the evening and Bomin is already asleep in Jibeom’s arms. It snows heavily so it was freezing outside. Jibeom forgot to check the weather and was not wearing a muffler, only Bomin’s arms warming the area around his neck. Jaehyun hesitates for a while but when he saw Jibeom’s nose starts to pink, he ruffles in his luggage. The first thing he feels is the thick fabric and when he pulls it out, it is the familiar-looking scarf.  _ Did Jibeom really give away the scarf because of the broken snowball? _ He looks at Bomin's father then to the scarf. Jaehyun quickly brushes the thought away thinking Jibeom might be too cold and rushes to Jibeom’s side while the man waits for their taxi. 

“Put this on,” Jaehyun circles the muffler around Jibeom. Careful not to wake Bomin up. Jibeom stays still in close proximity. He can see Jaehyun's eyes not meeting his. They are still awkward towards each other.

"The scarf…" Jibeom sees the brown familiar scarf. 

"Yeah… I like this a lot so you have to return this to me." 

Jibeom shifts Bomin to his other arm feeling all the weight of his son draining him. "I thought you liked snowball more." Jibeom mumbles. 

That made Jaehyun looks at him but looks away the moment Jibeom meets his eyes. "I lied."

"Jaehyun, look-" 

The taxi arrives just before Jibeom could explain about the gifts. He is happy Jaehyun likes the scarf more because, to be honest, he bought it at the shop Jaehyun frequents. He even paid extra just so the gift would be wrapped and delivered at his home before midnight. However, Jaehyun thinks the scarf was from Haknyeon so it's a bit sad.

The ride home was quiet. Even when they arrive at Jibeom's apartment, Jaehyun goes to bed to help Bomin sleep comfortably and Jibeom takes out the luggage. It's like neither of them wanted to speak a word. When Jaehyun finished his business, he dragged his own luggage and some bags so he could go home quietly. But before he could even take a step, Jibeom catches his wrist. 

"Jaehyun-ah," 

Jaehyun turns around a bit surprised. 

"Why don't you spend the night here? It's almost midnight… I-It’s dangerous..." 

Jaehyun smiles at Jibeom's thoughtfulness. Bomin definitely got his good attitude from his father. "Silly. I’m a man too. And we just spent the entire holiday together. Aren't you tired of seeing my face?" He tries to joke around to ease the atmosphere but the joke didn't get Jibeom. Even the grip around Jaehyun's wrist tightens. 

“A man,” Jibeom chuckles sadly, “I must have forgotten that fact…” Because in Jibeom’s eyes, Jaehyun looks so beautiful that it hurts. His painfully dazzling eyes and his smile that’s stretching his inviting lips...

Jibeom takes a step forward without saying anything, only looking at Jaehyun's face like he was hypnotized. Jaehyun steps backward, looking elsewhere but Jibeom. "W-what are you doing, Kim Jibeom?" 

Before Jaehyun's back bumps into the bar counter, Jibeom had circle an arm around Jaehyun’s slim waist. Jibeom's body is a few inches away from him. The room is dark with the faint lights from outside shining through the curtains. Jaehyun cannot see Jibeom's eyes clearly so he's a bit scared. 

"J-Jibeom, what are you-" 

"Jaehyun, I'm sorry. I just… I…" 

Jaehyun's heart is already banging in his chest especially when Jibeom lifts up his chin using his free hand, in movies, this exact scene leads to kissing however, they aren't in a movie. No matter how much his heart screams for this man in front of him, if Jibeom doesn't love him back then this is all wrong. Jaehyun was reminded again of how disgusting the males were back in high school when they tried to touch him just because he looks prettier than any girls at school. He pushes Jibeom away but Jibeom catches his hands instead. 

"I just want to check something." 

There are fingers making their way to his own and the feeling was painfully so good when Jibeom clasp their cold hands together. Jaehyun wanted to cry because the feeling definitely cannot be compared to those bastards because he is Kim Jibeom, the man he loves. He feels his knees go weak. "Let me just confirm something or else I might... not be able to look at you ever again…" 

Jaehyun's lips start to quiver. Jibeom is very close to him and he could feel his body heat. Jibeom leans closer so the tip of his nose touches Jaehyun. And when he tilts his head a little bit to the side, his lips brush soft and plump pair of lips. Jibeom feels suffocated at the sudden rush of feelings. Like every single cell in his body bursting in excitement. Jaehyun's lips are so soft just like his eyes and so fluffy like his hair. Jibeom's one hand goes under Jaehyun's jaw, lifting his head more so Jibeom could deepen the kiss. 

Jaehyun finally gives in and opens his mouth to have a taste of Jibeom. He only imagines it, kissing the love of his life but why isn't he happy. He is kissing back but his eyes shed tears and his lips quiver every time they move their mouth together. The kiss was sweet and slow like Jibeom is feeling everything his tongue touches and every caress Jaehyun's knees go weak. 

The kiss broke off when Jaehyun pushes Jibeom weakly when he needed air. Both their chests rise and fall at a fast pace seemingly out of breath. That's the only time Jibeom notices his best friend was crying. Jaehyun continues to cry as he wipes his lips with the string of saliva dripping the side of his mouth. "I h-hope you f-finally confirmed whatever i-it is that you are checking." Jaehyun grabs his luggage and goes straight to the door leaving Jibeom behind clenching his fist as he pants. He definitely is attracted to Jaehyun but is this even… love? Jibeom has the urge to follow the man but his knees went weak so he only stares at the door where Jaehyun disappears behind. 

-

Jibeom regretted how selfishly he behaved. He acted the same way as those guys Jaehyun hates the most. Probably Jaehyun hates him now all thanks to his way of confirming his feelings that he hurt his own best friend. The first day back at work was overwhelmingly awkward that even Youngtaek noticed how gloomy the boss' and the baker's aura is. He wants to ask but the two aren't in the mood. Seeing how Jibeom stares at Jaehyun's back with those eyes, Youngtaek knew it was Jibeom's fault. 

Only when Bomin arrives at the shop when things feel lighter. The thing is that Jaehyun stops fetching Bomin at school. The cold war Youngtaek thought of lasts for a week. Jaehyun is still as caring as ever, preparing Jibeom's breakfast before he goes home after baking at night. Jibeom would always hide his stares and his painful reaction when Jaehyun doesn't meet his eyes. All those things are definitely signs of love and Youngtaek was beyond frustrated. Yet, he wonders what changed Jibeom’s mind. One night when Jaehyun finished early, he went home first when Jibeom was on his way to get Bomin from school. Even the child keeps on asking for Jaehyun and Jibeom has no excuse on why he cannot ask Jaehyun to fetch his son. Bomin cried a bucket of tears when they arrived at the shop and was welcomed with news that Jaehyun left early. 

After an hour of calming Bomin down, the baby has fallen asleep on the couch. Even after he closed his eyes, he was mouthing the uncle's name. It was after closing up the shop and Youngtaek had enough of the game. 

"Jibeom, can we talk?" 

Jibeom looks up wearily at the hyung who sat across him. His hands didn't stop patting his son's bum as the baby continued to sleep. "Sure. What is it, hyung?" 

"What happened? Don't you think the situation is affecting not just you but your son? What's wrong between the both of you?" 

Jibeom clasped his hand together. He didn't know how to start but it's better to talk it out since Youngtaek is like a family too. "I'm sorry, hyung. The blame is on me. I did something really selfish to Jaehyun. He is just too kind to even stay here and work." 

"What did you do?" The tone of Youngtaek's voice became stern and his eyes glinted differently.

Jibeom starts with a deep inhale, "I don’t know what’s gotten to me that night but.. I... I kissed him." 

"W-what?!" Youngtaek’s eyes widened comically. _Why would Jibeom...?_

Jibeom can feel his ears heating up at his own confession. "I kissed him… I was trying to confirm what I truly felt about him and did that." 

"...and what did you get in return?" 

"I realized I am attracted to him. His face, his smile, his eyes, his expressions… When we spent the holidays together, it was as if I saw Jaehyun in a different light. But I don't know if this is l-" 

"Jibeom…" Youngtaek shakes his head again and again "Oh my goodness sake, Kim Jibeom…"

"W-why…?" 

"Jibeom, Jaehyun likes you. No, he… he loves you. He's in love with you for so long!" 

It feels like all that was around Jibeom stopped. "H-He is what?" 

Youngtaek regretted the moment he shut his mouth but how long does Jaehyun will wait for love to come around. He was already asking for forgiveness in the back of his mind. "It was so wrong of you to kiss him just to check your feelings because to Jaehyun, it meant everything." 

At first, Jibeom feels empty. As if he forgot how to speak. He opens his mouth but no words come out. His mind is empty.  _ Jaehyun is in love with me? Bong Jaehyun? _ The next thing he knew was he came home with Bomin in his arms. He lays down the boy gently on his bed. 

Jibeom closes the lids of his eyes and sighs deeply. His mind wanders as his back touches the mattress. 

"What am I going to do with this information, Jaehyun-ah?"

  
  
  
  


" _ Jaehyun-ah… _ ”

  
  


Jibeom wakes up in a glitch. He fell asleep in Bomin's bed. When he looks at the clock, it was half past 1 am. Jibeom silenced his groans and gets up to change clothes. He takes a glance at Bomin who was hugging the bear toy Jaehyun gave last Christmas. His heart aches for Bomin who is in between them. He felt stupid because after 5 years of raising the kid, not even once he felt he was a good father to him. Because Jaehyun was with him all along the journey, never leaving his side and did all the chores mother usually does to her own child. 

Now that Bomin finds his home with Jaehyun, Jibeom almost ruined it. He's sure Jaehyun misses the boy too but he's scared to go near Jibeom so he made a lot of excuses. And for the record, everything was Jibeom's fault. His parents’ acts towards Jaehyun now all make sense to him. Because Jaehyun was a selfless man who pours his attention to Jibeom’s family. If what Youngtaek said was true, how can Jaehyun hide his feelings for so long? _Was I the only one oblivious of Jaehyun’s love?_

When he walks out the bedroom to go to his own room, he sees the corridor where he shared his first kiss with his best friend. Unconsciously, his finger touches his own lips. He remembers well how the kiss felt and he feels more guilt of wanting to taste them again. 

"I'm so ruined." Jibeom poorly laughs at himself. Hitting his own forehead to hold his focus. Suddenly the world he lives in where Jaehyun was his best friend who's always there for him, whose arms are light and smiles are warm, a world where Jaehyun grew up with him and present in all events of his life, that world feels too far like he was never there. Jibeom needs to go back to that world or he'll be lost forever.

-

When the morning came, Jibeom rushed to the bakery shop early. He called a nanny to go with Bomin to the nursery care and now he's standing in front of the door of his own store. Jaehyun is smiling too wide talking to another familiar figure. His curly brown hair bouncing as he shakes his head in laughter. If he goes in now, Jaehyun would definitely act stiff so he stood and observed for a while. 

The man whom Jaehyun was talking to was Haknyeon. The snowball clicked in his mind.  _ What if… What if haknyeon asked about it..?  _ His hands fly to the door and push it quite harshly, inviting curious eyes to look at him. Even Jaehyun was pretty surprised to see him in haste. Jibeom awkwardly fixes his posture and goes straight to the counter. 

"Hey, kid!" he greets Haknyeon with a forced smile. The student bows at him politely. 

"Haknyeon-ah, you should go now. You'll be late for your first class if you don't hurry." Jaehyun finishes up packing the boy's coffee and smiles at him which to Jibeom's eyes was all bright and dearly. It pisses him off especially when the kid looks at him in a way more judgmental. When the boy left, Jibeom turns to Jaehyun and had his arm on his waist. 

"What did he say?" 

Jaehyun looks at him weirdly, "E-excuse me?" 

"That kid. What did he say? D-Did he mention about-"

"About what?" Jaehyun cuts him off. This time, his face shows a rather annoyed look. "He is not a kid. His name is Haknyeon in case you have forgotten."

Jibeom swallowed his words. Jaehyun really looks scary when he's mad. "W-well," he scratches the back of his neck, ashamed. "Nothing. It's nothing… I'm sorry." 

It made Jaehyun more pissed off than he already was. He hastily takes off his apron and tosses it to Jibeom before he storms out the counter to the kitchen. Jibeom catches it and looks around if someone sees them. He sighs, _I’m really bad at this._

_-_

Jaehyun closes the door and leans against it.  _ Stupid. You are so dumb, Kim Jibeom!  _ Jaehyun wished Jibeom could just say what's on his mind. He is tired of avoiding him like a plague. After that night when they kissed, Jaehyun didn't know how to control his emotions anymore. Maybe one of these days, he'll be able to confess unprepared. He cannot conceal how frustrated he is with the situation and just wanted to scream at his best friend's face that he likes him, no, he loves him for more than a decade. 

Jaehyun's distracted mind led to an accident as he was preparing for the ingredients he’s going to bake next. He scratches a finger on the open lid of a can causing a slice of his index finger. 

"Ow!" 

Youngtaek is the one who hurries to the kitchen. He sees droplets of blood on the kneading table.  "Jaehyun, are you okay?" 

Jaehyun wipes his hand with a dry washcloth after washing the wound. "Y-yeah, I just need the kit. Can you please-"

"Sure. I'll get it for you. Wait here." Youngtaek jogs in a hurry to get the emergency kit. 

Jaehyun sighs and checks his wound. It's not that bad. 

The door suddenly opens in a bang. Jaehyun looks up to know what's up with Youngtaek but his eyes widened the moment he sees Jibeom carrying the kit. The man grabs his finger and starts checking the wound. 

"This looks bad…" 

Jaehyun tries to retrieve his finger but Jibeom holds his wrist tight and leads them to sit back down. Jibeom looks at him with a careful expression. "May I?" 

"Would you let go of my hand if I say I don't want to?" 

Jibeom shakes his head firmly, "No."

Jaehyun heaves a sigh then places his injured hand on Jibeom's lap. "Then, go ahead. You never listen to anything I say, anyway." 

It hurts when Jaehyun says that. It's as if everything he said never matters to Jibeom when in fact, he has come to where he is now because he's been following Jaehyun. He starts to wonder if Jaehyun really loves him. Jibeom pretends not to hear because cleaning the wound is the most important thing to do. For now. 

He wraps the bandage neatly to finish up tending the cut. He sits up from crouching down only to level Jaehyun's face which is a little too close as they are sitting next to each other. His eyes travel southwards and gulps down at the sight of the cherry shade lips. Jibeom looks away in a snap too afraid of what he might do if he had not looked away. "J-Just call me if you need help. I'll be outside." He walks out hurriedly without looking back as his heart pounds faster than usual. 

Jaehyun looks at his finger. Jibeom's hands were warm and gentle as he held him. They might have held hands hundreds of times since they were kids but ever since that night, the slightest feeling of skin to skin sent sparks to Jaehyun. It's like he was electrified. He would not last long if this continues.

-

"This is the last box to be delivered, Jibeom-ah. I'm sorry but I gotta go home early today." Youngtaek informed Jibeom in the afternoon. 

"Sure, hyung. It's not that busy today either. I can manage alone." 

Youngtaek nods. Before he heads out the shop with the last box, he sends Jibeom an encouraging smile. "Hope you'll make up your mind soon. Ah correction! There." He pointed his chin directing to Jibeom's heart. 

Jibeom nods in response then closes the door he held for Youngtaek. As he was left with only Jaehyun who injured his hand, Jibeom has to work in double. Time flew and it was again the end of the day. 

Jaehyun was stacking the last cake he baked but he couldn't open the glass shelf. It's difficult with only one hand. He looks up and sees Jibeom wiping the tables in silence.  _ Should I call him? _ Now even calling his own best friend seems difficult. Jaehyun decides to try opening it again. 

"I clearly told you to call me if you needed help." Jibeom slides the lock and opens the glass door of the shelf. He is doing it from the other side of the counter. He had to stretched his arm a bit more. 

Jaehyun feels a bit embarrassed. "You were busy so-"

"I am not. Jaehyun, look…" Jibeom heaves a deep breath out his nostrils. Wanting to crash the wall they unconsciously built up in between them, Jibeom took the chance to have a talk with Jaehyun about what happened. "I-"

"Uncle Jaehyun!" Bomin cuts his dad off when he enters the shop with so much glee. Jibeom cannot hide the disappointment of his face just when he has the chance. But Bomin arrives at such a wrong timing, especially when he runs towards the counter and Jaehyun is quick to divert his attention to the boy. Bomin leaps in Jaehyun's arms when the man meets him halfway. "I miss you so much~" The boy buries his head on Jaehyun's chest, hugging the man like he doesn't wanna let go. 

Jaehyun hugs him back, "I missed you too, my baby. Sorry uncle was just a little busy." 

Bomin looks up with sulky eyes. "I thought Uncle forgot about me…" 

"That will never ever happen, Bomin-ah. You are my baby, remember?" 

The boy nods his head enthusiastically. "Dad? Can Uncle Jaehyun stay over at our house tonight? I wanna play with him…" 

Both the adults look at each other. Jibeom eyes Jaehyun for permission and Jaehyun wasn't sure what to say too.

"I-It's up to your Uncle Jaehyun if he wants to." 

Jibeom hopes Jaehyun would want to. His worries go away the moment Jaehyun nods his head. There was a nervous smile on Jaehyun’s face however, Jibeom feels elated seeing how happy Bomin is. But this isn't over yet. He has to make sure to cut all chase with Jaehyun tonight.

-

They played all night with Bomin's new toy. Jaehyun also taught him few English words and it was fascinating how Bomin memorizes all of them. When it was time to go to bed, Jaehyun tucks him to sleep. Because they played in Bomin's room, Jaehyun feels a bit more relaxed without Jibeom's stares lingering at him from time to time. Whenever Jibeom does it, Jaehyun feels like melting and he loses concentration.

He carefully places the stuff toys near the baby so he won't fall out of bed and cleans up the toys they played. It was almost 10 and he needs to go home or else he'll miss the last bus.  He carefully gets out of the room. It was silent and the only light in the living room was from the kitchen. Maybe Jibeom is in the room. He had a mini battle in his head whether to knock and say goodbye or just go as if he was in a hurry and text him when he's finally out. Jaehyun is about to knock but he hears a thud in the living room. 

He goes to check it first and he was surprised to see Jibeom surrounded with empty cans of beer. The thud came from Jibeom's hands that fell on the floor spilling the last can on the carpet. Just how much did he drink in a span of an hour or two.  Jaehyun was quick to get the can and secure it. The man reeks in alcohol. Jaehyun hits Jibeom's lap loudly to wake him up. 

"Yah Kim Jibeom! Are you out of your mind?!" he snaps.

Jibeom moves his head to Jaehyun's side and drowsily opens his eyes. He smiles upon seeing Jaehyun. "Jaehyun-ah…" 

“Don’t Jaehyun me, you’re drunk.”

Jaehyun grabs Jibeom's arm and lifts him up to the couch because he was sitting on the floor. "Let's get you seated first… ugh!" They both fell on the mattress of the sofa due to the extra weight. Jaehyun rests for a while to catch his breath looking at the ceiling thinking how he's going to move Jibeom to his room. As he was preoccupied, Jibeom moved his hand towards Jaehyun's cheek and faced the man to his side. Jaehyun stays still looking at the drunk Jibeom, feeling the man's thumb caressing his cheek. 

"Jaehyun-ah" Jibeom calls again while his eyes close. "I'm sorry. I am really… truly sorry…" 

Jaehyun slowly takes Jibeom's hand off from his cheek and encloses it into his own two hands. Jibeom finally opens his eyes still unfocused due to the alcohol. His lids slowly open and close like he was drowsy but he is looking at Jaehyun straight to the eyes.

"The Jaehyun who has nothing but love for me and my Bomin… I'm really sorry, Jaehyun-ah…" 

Jaehyun nods his head. His tears are hinting to fall. _ It’s okay. He’s just drunk. _

"When Youngtaek hyung told me about you…" 

Jaehyun's ears perked up.  _ What did hyung tell Jibeom?  _

"I was… I was happy. It was the first time in a long time that I felt… So I am loved… Finally."

_ Loved _ ? 

"...I'm sorry I couldn't realize it and hurt you in so many ways… I am such a bad friend, right? I even told you I will make things easy for you…" 

Jaehyun continues to listen.  _ Did Youngtaek hyung really... _

"But what do I do, Jaehyun-ah..?" Jaehyun hears Jibeom chuckles and feels Jibeom's hand hold his. "What do I do… when I am so attracted to you…" 

A tear rolls down Jaehyun's face. He doubts his ear for a second. "Kim Jibeom…"

Jibeom's eyes lingers at Jaehyun for a second then he moves closer and his free hand wipes the tear away from Jaehyun's cheek. As much as Jaehyun wants to ask Jibeom what he meant, the latter's head already fell on Jaehyun's shoulder so its forehead rests there. 

Jibeom seems to have fallen asleep. His eyes closed and faint snores followed. Jaehyun looks at their clasped hands. He wasn't holding him any longer but Jibeom is. His slender fingers were perfectly intertwined with Jaehyun's. It is still too early to tell if the confession was real. Jaehyun feels conflicted too. He can’t be happy knowing it all came out from a drunk man’s mouth. 

-

Jaehyun didn’t expect how Jibeom acted the days that followed. He thought they would grow more distant knowing each other’s secret at the back of their head. Rather, his best friend’s action suggested otherwise.

Jaehyun is on his way to the storage room to hide the extra cups they bought. As his hands are preoccupied with boxes, he plans on pushing the door with his legs. 

“Jaehyun, let me hold that for you…” Jibeom takes the boxes from Jaehyun’s arms cutting off any rejections. Jaehyun is only carrying three boxes of disposable cups and it isn’t that heavy anyway. 

“N-no…”

Jibeom grins cheekily at him, wriggling his eyebrows as he pushes the glass door using his hip. Jaehyun couldn’t help but smile too although he was startled of Jibeom popping out of nowhere. Jibeom is clueless how his smiles tickle Jaehyun’s heart so the latter helps open the door for the black-haired man to hide away his blush.

That afternoon, Jibeom peeks his head to the kitchen. “Jaehyun, aren’t you tired? You can take a rest if you want to.”

“No, I’m fine.” Jaehyun briefly answers and continues kneading the dough.

“Hmm... I am thinking of closing up early so we would not run out pastries.”

Jaehyun looks up weirdly at Jibeom, “ Why would you do that?” Jibeom never once closed up early unless it’s an emergency.

Jibeom shyly scratches his sideburn then smiles, “There’s an American burger chain that opened up not long ago. It’s the name that you used to mention before. You must’ve missed having them. S-Shall we try? Tonight?”

“Ohh… W-what about Bomin?” 

Jibeom blinks at the question for a second. He has to bite his cheeks to not smile any wider or else Jaehyun would be really embarrassed. “Uhmm… He’s dining with us…” Jibeom lowers his tone.

“Oh!” Jaehyun feels his ears and cheeks hot. It seems that he was expecting a date or something. “Of course!” Jaehyun forced a laughter, “Of course, Bomin should be there. R-right after we, you and I, picked him at the nursery. R-right?” 

Jibeom tries his best not to laugh at how silly Jaehyun was. He isn’t just silly but cute. Really cute that Jibeom feels like it’s a torture to see Jaehyun that way. He hurriedly excuses himself to let go of his hurting cheeks and smiles foolishly at the counter while Jaehyun curls in embarrassment.  _ Ah Bong Jaehyun!! So stupid... _

Later in the restaurant, Bomin is dancing on his seat as the foods are served. Jaehyun lets out tiny giggles watching how Bomin is so excited to try them. The burger was quite big but bearable to bite. However, Jibeom takes Jaehyun’s plate and starts slicing the burger into bite-size. When he thought it was for Bomin, Jibeom slides it back to him. “Eat up,” 

It seems that Jaehyun’s tongue was tied or something but he really has nothing to say to Jibeom. He never slices anything for him back then instead, he would shove down any food in his mouth as far as Jaehyun remembers. 

_ "What do I do… when I am so attracted to you…"  _

Jaehyun stares at his burger as the confession fills up his mind.  _ Could it be... _

“Jaehyun-ah?” Jibeom pokes Jaehyun’s arm. “Don’t you like it? Shall we order another one?”

“Huh?” Jaehyun shakes his head hastily after gaining back his focus. “No, I just remembered something. Don’t mind me. Eat up, here.” Jaehyun slides the chips to Jibeom’s side. J _ ust how many times should I embarrass myself today… _ Jaehyun sighs. 

Jibeom decides to let it go and continue eating. Overall, the food was delicious. Well, they were just burgers but they had their fill. Bomin was also happy and now eating his icecream. On the way to the parking lot, snow starts to fall filling the grounds like white cotton. 

“Dad! Snow!” Bomin looks back at Jibeom who is walking behind. The boy is holding Jaehyun’s hand. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” 

“Hmm…” Jibeom looks up at the dark sky then to the surroundings. He nods his head. He looks in front of him and under the bright street light, snowflakes fall on them. Jaehyun has a faint smile on his face and his cheeks slightly pink due to the cold. He is licking his lips and chewing them to let it stay moist. Apart from that, his white skin shines brightly at the light. His perm brown hair has tiny white flakes all over. Jibeom couldn’t help his lips to curl up. 

“You’re right, Bomin. So beautiful.” He says as he stares at Jaehyun’s big dark eyes. 

The child is already jumping up and down, enjoying the snow while the two adults stare at each other. Jaehyun’s heart starts to thump loudly again. He is the first one to look away, not able to contain Jibeom’s loving gaze. 

“Ah, it’s cold! Let’s hurry inside, Uncle Jaehyun!” Bomin drags Jaehyun towards the car. Jaehyun was thankful Bomin is with them or else he’ll melt down together with the ice on the ground. 

“Nice and comfy,” Jaehyun straps the belt over Bomin’s waist at the back seat. “Wait here, for a moment, okay? Uncle and Dad will just talk for awhile.”

The boy nods his head enthusiastically. Jaehyun also made sure to give the baby his toy so he’ll not get bored. He closes the door of the car and finds Jibeom still standing at the back, looking elsewhere. 

“Let’s go?” Jaehyun calls. 

“Come over here for a second.” 

Jaehyun is hesitant but steps closer to where Jibeom is standing. While he’s getting nearer, he notices Jibeom’s stare on him again. 

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

Jibeom shakes his head. His hand touches the muffler Jaehyun was wearing when the man was close enough. “You weren’t lying when you said you liked the scarf better.” 

Only then Jaehyun realized he’s wearing the gift Jibeom gave him. “I…”

“Hm?”

“It’s because I like the person who gave this. That’s why I keep wearing it.” In the cold winter, Jaehyun’s hands are sweaty. He is fisting his palm as he says it. 

Jibeom looks like he’s taken aback. Jaehyun carefully studies his reaction. The surprise from his face subdues and a sad smile replaces it. “But this is given-”

“I wonder who gave this exactly. But I want to believe this is from the person I like.”

“Jaehyun-ah…”

“Let’s go? It’s getting colder.” Jaehyun turns his back but Jibeom is quick to grab his wrist. 

Jaehyun shakes his arm so Jibeom would let go. He successfully retracts it and hides both his arms at the back as he faces Jibeom. He was about to let it go but Jaehyun thinks it’s about time.

“Jibeom, what’s this?” His chest falls up and down as he tensed up, “I already know Youngtaek hyung must’ve mentioned a thing or two about me. About how I felt. Are you doing all these to mock me?” 

Jibeom was surprised, “No! Jaehyun, no…” 

“Then what? You are suddenly treating me as if I’m a… a girl. Holding up the boxes for me, asking if I’m tired. Why now? I’ve been working in the cafe for years! Opening the door for me, letting me stay over because it’s dangerous outside. Are you kidding me? We used to go home so late and you never said those words before. And then eat up? You used to scoop a spoonful and feed it to my mouth directly! Now you are looking at me as if… As if I’m the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen…” Jaehyun clenches his fists tight. He looks around if there are people passing by because his tears are about to break free. “You kissed me, held my hands gently, smiled lovingly. And this!” He takes off the scarf and tosses it to Jibeom’s face. “You lied to me…” 

Jibeom looks at him with a pained expression. Jaehyun is about to get swayed like he did for days but this has to stop because only Jaehyun was falling harder. He likes how Jibeom treats him a bit too much. 

“I only liked the snowball just because I thought it was from you… But you have all the days to tell me the truth yet you didn’t! Was it all fun for you?”

“Jaehyun, listen.” Jibeom takes Jaehyun’s hand and holds it firmly. “I tried but you were so happy that day and I don’t have the heart to break it to you… Still, I am very sorry. I don’t know where to start… It might take me a whole day to answer your questions but are you willing to listen?” 

Jaheyun only stares at him in silence. His eyes are wet from the unshed tears. He knows Jibeom is being sincere as he’s just as desperate as him. The look in his eyes like he wanted to scream. He knows how that feels. He looked back at the car and Bomin was already asleep. Jaehyun subtly nods his head and walks back to the car. Jibeom follows suit. 

Now that they are inside. It’s warm and it’s safe to talk. Although Jaehyun had already burst out a while ago. Now that he’s sitting, his eyes glued in front as he couldn’t look at Jibeom in the eyes. 

Jibeom takes a deep breath, “Jaehyun…”

“I’m listening. Go ahead,” 

“Youngtaek hyung did tell me how you feel about me. That was the day after I kissed you that night. I did it because…” Jibeom is fidgeting his fingers looking intently at Jaehyun though the man is side facing him. “Because I also started feeling things. Things I’m unfamiliar with. Your face, whenever I look at it, it stirs me inside. Your eyes, your lips, your presence, the things you do, everything about you flips me inside out. When I kissed you, I realized how bad I want you.”

Jaehyun shudders at what he’s hearing from his best friend’s mouth. He wanted to look at his face but he’s scared the moment he looks at him, he’ll go out of his mind. He clenches his hands tight and tries to calm himself down. 

“I was afraid my feelings would ruin you, us. But the more I hold it in, the stronger it feels. Jaehyun… Please look at me…” 

Jaehyun quickly wipes the tear that rolls down. The butterflies in his stomach are alive and his heart feels like it’s bursting. Jibeom takes his hand and presses it to his own cheek, feeling how cold Jaehyun’s hand is. That’s when Jaehyun looks at the man. 

“I’m sorry. It must’ve been really hard for you. Loving someone as stupid as I am.”

Jaehyun only shakes his head. 

“I’m really bad at this, Jaehyun so please forgive me. I-I don’t know how this works between us but can you bear with it? Teach me how to treat you better… to love you the way you wanted to be loved. Tell me what you like and hate the most. I want to know it all. Help me get in your life. Bomin and I.”

Jaehyun finally burst into tears. He didn’t know what happened in between that they have come to this time wherein he would finally hear Jibeom says those words of love. He only imagined them and it feels so right, so good now that he has broken free from daydreaming. Jibeom is in love with him and he will never ever let this man go. 

Jibeom’s eyes are wet too. He feels so happy now that Jaehyun is crying in front of him. Because he knows Jaehyun is happy too. He kissed the man’s pale hand, again and again, shushing his cries as he whispers, “I love you…” 

Jaehyun takes the man’s face and kisses him deeply. He might look like a mess in front of the most handsome man confessing his love to him but Jaehyun didn’t care. He never waited for too long to only stare at his face. Jibeom kisses back as soon as their lips touch forgetting there’s Bomin right at the back. He tasted the saltiness of Jaehyun’s tears mixed with the man’s chapstick. The warmth of his breath and the softness of his tongue, Jibeom would happily die kissing the man. “I love you too…” Jaehyun chants in between kisses. 

No one wants to let go but they have to go home and put Bomin to bed, setting aside the overwhelming feelings both of them have. Jibeom wipes his thumb over Jaehyun’s glistening lips and using the back of his hand, brushes the stray hair away from his beautifully messed up face. Jaehyun smiles, and cups Jibeom’s cheek, “I’m not letting you go. Never.” 

Jibeom nods and returns the sweet smile, “Please don’t let me go.” 

For the first time, Jaehyun is finally at home. He will never go home alone and will never sleep by himself. He’ll never worry about getting on the bus late at night nor walking at the street alone. He will never eat silently and he will never ever feel that the world has always been cold. Because aside from Bomin’s tiny embrace, Jibeom has wide arms ready to give him warmth anytime. Winter will never be cold because Jaehyun has finally found his home. 

-

A year later. 

  
  


Jaehyun peeks in at the cookies he’s baking. It’s almost done so he takes off his apron and starts washing the dishes. He hears the soft sound of the television and sulks the moment he remembers what happened a while ago. He asks Jibeom to help him in the kitchen because they’ve always been busy and he wants to spend leisure time with his boyfriend by baking the cookies Bomin wanted to eat. However, Jibeom was too lazy to get up on the couch and Jaheyun ended up doing it on his own. 

While he’s busy rubbing the utensils clean, a pair of arms find their way around his waist and a warm breath is felt on his neck. Jaehyun wriggles out as he continues to sulk but Jibeom turns him around instead. 

“Jibeom, the spo-”

He was stopped midway when Jibeom silenced him with a kiss. “It’s because you’ve been pouting. I thought you wanted a kiss.” 

Jaehyun hits Jibeom’s arm and pushes him away although Jibeom is quick to find his way back and presses Jaehyun at the counter with his body. Nuzzling his nose on Jaehyun’s neck when he catches the man in his arms. 

Jaehyun finally giggles, “It tickles! S-stop!” 

Jibeom pecks the smooth skin tracing the curve from his lover’s neck down to his shoulder. Feeling unsatisfied, Jibeom slides the shirt Jaehyun was wearing showing more skin on his pale shoulder. He sucks a part that Jaehyun goes reeling at the warm and soft tongue on his skin. Jaehyun accidentally moans but was quick to bite his lips knowing Bomin was just inside the room next to the kitchen. 

Jibeom smiles looking at the pinkish spot he made. He takes Jaehyun by the hand and is about to drag the man out of the kitchen but the oven rings, about time the cookies are baked. Bomin, the hungry boy must have heard it and he came running towards the kitchen. Jaehyun almost lost it as he laughed so hard at Jibeom’s upset look. The supposed steamy time they had was cut short and Jibeom looks like a kid looking at his own son jumping up at down beside Jaehyun. As if Bomin takes something very big from him. 

“Dad, cookies! I want cookies!” the 6 year old sways Jaehyun's hand as he asks for his snack. 

Jaehyun wipes the side of his eyes when he recovers from his laughter. Bomin looks at them weirdly for a moment and focuses back on his cookies. Jaehyun pats the boy’s head, “Sit down properly in the living room and dad will take your cookies, hm?” 

Bomin nods his head and kisses Jaehyun’s cheek. “Thanks, Dad! You’re the best!” He runs back to the living room and only takes a brief look at his own father. Jibeom sends him a sulky look but Bomin ignores him. 

It puts a smile on Jaehyun’s face. Everyday has always been like this. Bomin and Jibeom are in an imaginary race for his attention. Jaehyun loves his small family; his two babies. 

“Later, babe.” He winks at Jibeom which brings back the color of the latter’s face. Jaehyun chuckles, “You look like a kid. A big kid with naughty thoughts.” He laughs, “Go to the living room and wait for your cookies too.” 

Jibeom scoffs yet he follows Jaehyun’s order. Sitting beside Bomin while waiting for Jaehyun. When Jaehyun is finally done, his heart melts at the sight of the father and son enjoying the movie together. Until now, Jaehyun couldn’t believe that these two are finally his. 

Nights have never been this better than spent with the person you love. Jaehyun snuggles closer to the warmth of Jibeom’s damp naked chest. He can hear both their heartbeat fast as they just calmed down their highs from their love making. Jibeom sweeps the hair that stuck on Jaehyun’s forehead. The tiny curls look very cute and his big eyes glistening from the unshed tears. Jibeom kisses his lover’s forehead. 

“Tired?” 

Jaehyun nods his head briefly. He looks at the wall clock and it’s already 2 in the morning. He loves Jibeom but sometimes he is so active that they would always end up doing it for hours. It’s not like he's complaining but Jibeom would always make the winter as an excuse to share warmth of their bodies. Jaehyun smiles at Jibeom’s childishness. 

“We’re not doing it for a week.” 

Jibeom hums in agreement which surprises Jaehyun so he looks up. Jibeom is grinning at him from ear to ear.

“But we’ll still do it like this after a week.” says Jibeom, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jaehyun pinches his side, earning a big “ow” from his big baby. “That’s for you and your mind.”

Jibeom pulls Jaehyun near him and drapes his arm over his lover’s slim frame, “Jaehyun, thank you. Winter has never been special since the day we decided to fall in love with each other. I love you, my winter love.”

“Pft! That’s cheesy but since I love you too, I’ll let that slide.” 

Jibeom laughs too and starts singing a lullaby to get Jaehyun to sleep. He starts liking winter, no, he has come to love winter, thanks to Jaehyun’s warm love for him and his son.

"Merry Christmas, my love." Jibeom closes his eyes and hears Jaehyun whispers a Merry Christmas before they drift to dreamland that warm snowy day. 

end.

**Author's Note:**

> How was it? I hope you guys spent your holidays well and warm too!


End file.
